Ex-Rotherham rugby star faces jail over Whitby bar brawl

The strapping builder (47, pictured), threw punches “indiscriminately” inside the packed Abbey Wharf bar in Whitby on June 9, Scarborough magistrates heard.

Scarborough Magistrates’ Court heard Bunting lashed out after receiving a call from home telling him his father Colin had died.

When he burst into tears and a group of men began taunting him, Bunting,  of Clarence Place, Maltby, sparked a melee which left a doorman injured and needed police using a taser to subdue him.

Bunting was on a trip to the seaside town and joined up with a large group of other men who were celebrating someone’s birthday and had gone to a local rugby club to watch a game before moving on to the Abbey Wharf, said prosecutor Mr Philip Morris.

The men were on a pub crawl when violence broke out at about 11pm following a verbal altercation between Bunting and other males who were said to dislike the rugby hard man, who played for Rotherham RUFC, Doncaster and Sheffield Tigers and is currently on Dinnington RUFC’s books.

“Mr Bunting was attacking members of the public indiscriminately,” said Mr Morris.

A doorman saw Bunting “randomly punching people in the bar” and other males were throwing punches back. 

Bunting was said to have thrown “at least five punches”.

The doorman tried to push Bunting away and jumped on his back, but the man mountain hit him at least twice and punched him in the eye, causing a momentary blurring of his vision.

Bunting’s 18-year-old son Morgan assaulted another doorman during the melee, believing that his father was under attack. 

The doorman suffered cuts to his lip and soreness and swelling to his cheek and jaw.

The violence spilled out into the street and police were called. 

An officer tried to arrest Bunting senior but he put up a struggle, forcing the officer to use his taser to bring him under control before cuffing him.

An ambulance was called to the scene but despite injuries to the two doormen, they did not need medical treatment.

Bunting senior, of Clarence Place, Maltby, was charged with common assault, resisting a police officer and a public-order offence. He denied the charges and appeared for what was due to be a trial at Scarborough Magistrates' Court on Friday, but pleaded guilty to assault and resisting an officer on the day of trial. The public-order charge was dropped.

Morgan Bunting, of the same address, admitted common assault. 

The court heard that Bunting senior, a renowned tight-head prop who on a club website lists his favourite drink as lager, had previous convictions for criminal damage and public disorder, which led to a suspended prison sentence in 2015.  

The bench adjourned sentence to tommorow (Tuesday) to give the Probation Service time to compile an “all-options” report. Bunting was bailed until then.

Morgan Bunting was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the doorman.